Microsoft Surface Pro (2017) review: More power for more money

Set Microsoft’s Surface Pro (2017) next to its predecessor, the Surface Pro 4, and I defy you to tell the difference. With the same dimensions and weight, the two are virtually indistinguishable—a kickstand that reclines further and a few cosmetic changes are all that separate them. What sells the new Surface Pro, though, is on the inside: a dramatic upgrade to the processor and graphics that propels it to the head of the 2-in-1 class.

Microsoft built the Surface Pro around a new 7th-generation Kaby Lake processor and its associated Iris Plus integrated graphics, and boy, do they shine. Especially in graphics, the new Surface Pro (2017) almost doubles the performance of the two-year-old Surface Pro 4, and challenges notebooks like the original Surface Book and 15-inch HP Spectre x360, both of which use a dedicated graphics chip.

Microsoft demands a hefty premium for that kind of performance, though. Not only is the fancy Alcantara-bound Signature Type Cover sold separately ($160), but the more sensitive Surface Pen is as well ($100). Add that to the whopping $2,199 that Microsoft asks for our review model, and you have to ask yourself, do I really want a Surface tablet, or could I save upwards of $700 buying a slightly heavier notebook?

Mark Hachman / IDG

Subtle changes distinguish the Surface Pro (2017)

Because the new Surface Pro is so nearly identical to the Surface Pro 4, most differences are trivial: The front-facing camera now fades into the tablet bezel, for example, and the Surface Pro features a softer, rounded profile. (I only noticed these differences after Microsoft pointed them out.) The Surface Pro is also the first of Microsoft’s Surface products to ship with the Windows 10 Creators Update.

The Signature Type Covers are pleasingly fuzzy, though the fabric tends to compress a bit, especially on the bottom, and collect dust. The color options are nice: platinum, burgundy, and cobalt blue, as well as the standard black. The new $100 Surface Pens ship in the same colors.

The specifications should sound familiar. The new Surface Pro measures 11.5 x 7.9 x 0.33 inches, the same as the Surface Pro 4, and weighs between 2.37 and 2.41 pounds. Our calipers found the Surface Pro 4 to be 0.327 inches thin, versus 0.345 inches for the Surface Pro.

Mark Hachman / IDG

As tested, our version—with a 2.5GHz Core i7-7660, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of speedy NVMe storage—weighed 1.74 pounds for the tablet alone, and 2.40 pounds with the Signature Type Cover keyboard. That’s the same weight and dimensions as the Surface Pro 4, already one of the lightest Windows tablets on the market.

Likewise, the screens are identical: a 12.3-inch PixelSense display, with a resolution of 2,736×1,824 (267 PPI). Here’s one difference: the Surface Pro includes an “enhanced” color profile, like the Surface Studio, versus the standard sRGB color display. Under Enhanced mode, the colors pop a bit more, while in sRGB they appear a bit more washed-out. (The Surface Studio includes a “Vivid” color mode, which Microsoft says is different than the “Enhanced” mode. “It takes the mid-tones as close to P3-D65 color gamut as possible while leaving skin tones as is,” according to a spokeswoman.)

Mark Hachman / IDG

Internal differences are slight as well. Both tablets contain 802.11ac, along with Bluetooth 4.0 for the SP4 and Bluetooth 4.1 for the new Surface Pro. The benefits of the upgraded Bluetooth will become more apparent once Microsoft releases the planned Surface Pro with LTE variant later this year, as Bluetooth 4.1 signals don’t interfere with LTE.

The cameras of both the new Surface Pro and the older Surface Pro 4 appear identical (5MP on the front, 8MP on the rear), and an appropriate resolution for the form factor. The SP4’s rear-facing camera delivered richer color, however, and camera fans should consider the 13MP camera within the Samsung Galaxy Book instead. Most importantly, the Surface Pro’s front-facing camera is Windows Hello-enabled and lightning-quick, thanks in part to a second front-facing sensor that isn’t present on the Surface Pro 4.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Fortunately (or not, depending upon your perspective) Microsoft sticks with the traditional Surface I/O complement: the Surface connector, a miniDisplayPort connector, and a full-sized USB-A connector. A microSD card slot hides under the kickstand, as before. The Surface connector allows Surface owners to attach peripherals that they’ve already owned, like the standalone Surface Dock and charger. I think that’s a smart decision, whereas the Samsung Galaxy Book’s wholesale commitment to USB-C is a mistake. In any event, you know what you’re buying when you purchase a Surface.

A mini-Surface Studio

Externally, the key difference between the two Microsoft tablets is that the new Surface Pro kickstand now folds back to 15 degrees off the horizontal, what Microsoft calls “Studio mode.” This refers to Microsoft’s Surface Studio, the massive all-in-one desktop whose touch display also dramatically reclines to just a slight angle. If you own a Surface Dial, the new Surface Pro also allows you to use the device directly on the screen, something that had previously been reserved just for the Surface Studio.

[Source”pcworld”]